Three years of travelling and training. Three years of hate and anger and I-will-avenge-! Three years of growing and learning and forgetting her boys, because her boys held her back and made her feel weak.

And at their reunion, everything falls apart.

He's weak, too weak, and those long months of travelling and homesickness and training were all for nothing. Nothing! He can do nothing as Sasuke punches and sends him flying. He can do nothing despite all he'd been through to be stronger than Sasuke. Because Sasuke's also gotten strong, and he's so very strong now, too strong to fight and keep everyone else alive, much less win and drag him back to Konoha. 'Whatever happened to I-will-not-give-up?' whispers a quiet voice inside him. But it's so hopeless, hopeless, hopeless, and he's drowning in his despair, because he can do nothing.

And inside, Naruto screams his frustration and desperation.

He's trying to hate them, but all he can do is force himself to do is push down his emotions and meet them with cold indifference. He's tried and tried and tried, but when he just begins to succeed he remembers Naruto making a fool of himself at Ichiraku's as they eat together and Sakura smacking him- "Naruto baka!"- as Kakashi laughs, and he involuntarily smiles to himself at the memories. He wishes he could go back with them, but he knows it's too late to turn back now. He's already fallen to the darkness, and deep down, his heart is weeping silently at his need for revenge. But he has to avenge his family, and he has to kill Itachi. It is his fate, his right, his duty.

And within, the little boy who was Sasuke screams, hoping someone will hear his plea.

She's remembering. Just when she'd forgotten how strong they were and how weak she was in comparison, she's remembering. Forgetting made her strong, made her powerful, made her determined, because for the past three years, the only memories she chose to recall are the ones where Sasuke and Naruto are unconscious in the Forest of Death. And at that time she had to be strong and she grew and she stood her ground because she would not let them hurt her boys. But she's remembering the times when she couldn't fight on the bridge and she couldn't stop them from fighting on the roof and she had to be saved, over and over. And it's making her weak. She's not sure she can fight anymore, because now she remembers her love for Sasuke and how she could never compare to his and Naruto's power.

But she pushes it all back. No longer. No longer will she let Naruto chase Sasuke on his own for her sake. She chose to be a medic so she could help Naruto, and she will NOT let the traitor jerk Sasuke hurt Naruto. So she stands. And she waits. And at their final battle, when Naruto is still coming, but hasn't gotten there yet, she pretends to fall and cower like the damsel in distress she once was. And when she's the only one left standing, she attacks and punches him into the ground and creates a giant crater. That's what inner Sakura would have done, but inner Sakura had become outer Sakura in those three years, and Sasuke better beware, because it's come down to Naruto or him, and Sakura knows she would pick Naruto every single time.

And inside and out, Sakura screams her battle cry.

"SHANNARO!"

AN: This is... really weird... I was just rereading it...

Anyways, I am a firm believer in SasuSaku.

However, I think that unless Sasuke went back to Konoha and didn't get executed and all that jazz, Sakura would be really, really pissed off at him for leaving and attacking Naruto. And, if it came down to Sasuke vs. Naruto, she'd defend Naruto out of sisterly love, because Naruto's her friend, and he's trustworthy, and he stayed, etc.

Did I mention I was also a huge fan of epic Sakura? XD